This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-302663, filed Oct. 2, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a multi controller for transmitting various control signals to a recording/reproduction device which records a movie or the like and reproduces it, and controlling this recording/reproduction device.
In recent years, the research-and-development and manufacturing of DVD (Digital versatile Disk) have been progressed with great speed. In connection with this, the research-and-development and manufacturing of a recording/reproduction device in association with the DVD for recording the information of movies or the like in the DVD and reproducing the information of movies which are recorded in the DVD have been progressed. The recording/reproduction device in association with the DVD is configured such that it can perform various reproduction processing and recording processing with making good use of properties of the DVD. Alternatively, in order to improve operability, the recording/reproduction device in association with the DVD is loaded with a GUI (graphic user interface) function and it is configured so as to input various operations via a graphic displayed on a screen.
As a controller for controlling the aforementioned recording/reproduction device, a remote controller has been known. However, as the number of functions increases, the number of operation buttons on the remote controller also is apt to increase. Therefore, the operation of the remote controller becomes difficult for the user.
Specifically, in the case of the aforementioned recording/reproduction device in association with the DVD, in addition to the normal recording/reproduction operation, an input operation via a graphic displayed on the screen is required in association with a GUI function, so that the operation buttons on the remote controller becomes complicated more and more.
For example, a method for dispersing an operation section in association with the recording/reproduction operation and an operation unit in association with the GUI function may be considered. However, this method becomes very inconvenient in the case that the recording/reproduction operation and the operation in association with the GUI function should be paralleled.
An object of the present invention is to provide a multi controller with an excellent operability. Especially, the object of the present invention is to provide a multi controller which is associated with a recording/reproduction device and a GUI function and has an excellent operability.
In order to solve and attain the above object of the present invention, the multi controller according to the present invention is configured as below.
The multi controller according to the present invention comprises first operating means (supposed to be a cursor key) for generating a control signal to control a first function in association with a declination operation in four or eight directions and generating a control signal to control a second function in association with a pushing operation; second operating means (supposed to be a dial key) for generating a control signal to control a third function in association with a rotation operation in a circular arc; and third operating means (supposed to be a lever key) for generating a control signal to control a fourth function in association with a shifting operation in front and back and generating a control signal to control a fifth function in association with a pushing operation.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.